Robotech - Tales of the UEEF (Main)

[Epiphany]

As the Storm Dragons assemble on the flight deck, Lieutenant Chen Tseng bounds up to join them. There's a brightness to her expression, a spring in her stride and a general look of euphoria that suggests life is going well for the Chinese pilot.

"Sorry for not being at chow or briefing with you," she starts off. "Had a squad leader's meeting on coordinating our patrols to maximize our reconnaissance while avoiding enemy attention, or bumping into each other." Slowly, her head swivels around until she's looking squarely at Leela Greeten. Then her curiosity is replaced by sudden understanding. "It's Lieutenant Greeten, isn't it? Excellent! Welcome to the Storm Dragons! We're delighted to work with you!"

The short woman sticks out a hand and enthusiastically shakes if given the opportunity to do so.

"I assume you've been assigned your own ship already and are prepped and ready to fly with us, Lieutenant. In the meantime, this is for everyone." Chen clears her throat before continuing. "Given our limited sensor systems, once again we'll be letting Alex do what he does best in hopes he can pick up friendly units as well as identify enemy locations. There's one obvious consequence for the rest of us, though; our EW specialist won't be able to watch our backs with his usual superlative skill. Now, we do have the new Shadow Stealth Systems but we have little first hand experience with deploying them against hostile attention. So, it falls to each of us to keep a keen eye out for any Invid in space, as Alex will be focusing on Paraxian system itself."

"As a reminder, we're under orders not to go atmo. Our ships can still be seen visually and we don't want to give the Invid advanced notice that we have new stealth craft until there's a significant tactical advantage to us gaining the element of surprise on them. Instead, we'll initiate communication with friendlies we can find, gather what intel they'll give us and pass their coordinates and circumstances on to command. Command will then decide how best to reinforce or support any ground-based operations without compromising our strategic assets. If we get in touch with any Zentraedi or Robotech Masters, it'll be a tougher conversation but one we'll do our best with. I speak Zentraedi at least, as does Alex; between us we'll talk them down and see if we can win their help."

"Any questions before we deploy?" Chen gives the Garudan another look, once again turning up her smile. "I wish we'd had more of an opportunity to do some practice runs together but it can't be helped. Scorch and Grumpy will pair up as wingmates. You'll be mine, which should give us a nice chance to get to know each other this mission. Oh, and fair warning?"

"By the end of this mission, you'll be up for your own Callsign if you don't have one already."

 

[pushed]

Leela grinned over at her teammate Amanda enthusiastically. She was more than excited for her first flight with the Storm Dragons. She was even happier to know that none of them held hard feelings for the direct way she approached them about a faux relationship. "I am excited. This is my first flight with you all and I hope I don't make a fool of myself." Though she tried to not appear nervous- deep inside she knew she was a bundle of anxious nerves. The alien reached out to grasp the hand of her captain- happy to finally meet her at last. Her nerves were high and adrenaline pumping in tandem to her rapidly beating heart. Chen asked her if she had any more questions and a million bubbled to the surface of her mind but none escaped her lips. She shook her head slowly before speaking up. "I learn best by doing. I will follow your lead and attempt to not mess anyone else up. I do have some experience out there but I am not certain how I will flow with your team." She bit her tongue to ensure she said nothing about her love life like she did to the other two. She grinned at the mention of a callsign. "No, I do not have a callsign as of yet but I am very much looking forward to it. I notice that they go along with personality traits and perhaps some talents we may have. I mean- Grumpy's name is pretty spot on from what I can tell." She grinned over at the male. He made her feel at ease with his aloof yet disgruntled nature. It all seemed on the surface for the most part- which was a blessing for her. She didn't think she could keep up with these humans.

 

[Orikanyo]

Grumpy huffed. "Your not the first to say that, definitely not the last fluffy." Grumpy sighed before cracking his neck. "We'll find something that sticks, or maybe you'll stumble upon a callsign. Don't let Amanda fool you, her true callsign is Snoopy, she'll say it isn't, but shes just playing." grumpy continued to tease. "...Wait... does Alex have one? I've only really called him Alex..." grumpy began to wonder if the sivler haired man has a callsign... he couldn't quite place it...

 

[Sherwood]

Alex shakes his head. "Nope, no callsign. While I am able to pilot a Veritech, I don't actually have one. I guess you have to be a full fledged pilot to earn one, and I'm just a EW tech passenger for the real throttle jocks to cart around. Buuuut, I don't think that simple fact should be enough to keep you guys from pinning a friendly title on me. Up to you guys, of course."

The deck crews working on the final pre-launch checks turn to look over at Chen and Leela. "Sirs? What did you want on your wings for ordnance? Do you have anything particular you want on the hard points, or should we just give you a variety of loads? We're running out of time to get you loaded up before you have to launch."

 

[Epiphany]

"Surprise me," Chen says to the deck crews. Which is shorthand for asking for a variety. The unknowns of this mission made missile loadouts a gamble anyway so better to err on the side of having a little of what she needed rather than a lot of what she didn't, so to speak.

Hopping into her cockpit, Lightning slipped on her visor and signaled her crew. "Storm Dragons, let's get to it!"

 

[Psychie]

Amanda gives Chen a jaunty salute. "Ready to fly, boss lady! Lets do this!"

Spoiler: Missile Payload

12 Medium Multi Warhead
46 Short HEAP
8 Mini Fragmentation

 

[pushed]

Leela acknowledged Alex with the full force of her feline gaze. She was so excited to simply get out there- she didn't even tell the male earlier what missiles she will be requiring for this mission. She felt silly but that didn't stop her for quickly explaining what she wanted after Chen requested her own variety. Then she turned to her leader and followed Scorch's lead with a salute. She was more than ready.

Spoiler: Missile Payload

46 Short ranged
4 long range
6 medium

 

[Sherwood]

With the missile selection made, the deck hands jump into action and get the Valkyries loaded with their deadly payloads, just like a NASCAR pit crew swapping out a set of tires. Once that is done, the Strom Dragons are now ready to fly. You taxi across the deck to your launch positions, and soon you are blasting out into space.

As you head towards the planet for your fly-over, Alex gets a puzzled look on his face. "Um, guys? I'm getting a target on my scope. Looks like a stray asteroid in orbit around the planet, but it is remarkably stable in its position. But the most troubling thing is that I just picked up a brief burst of a radio signal. If I were a betting man, I'd have to say that the 'asteroid' is really a hidden base in orbit over the planet. I suggest we close in and check it out. Might be some Zentraedi or Robotech Master troops hiding out from the Invid."

Spoiler: OOC

Missiles for Epiphany
6 Medium Range HEAP
15 Mini Plasma
2 Long Range Proton Torpedoes
23 Short Plasma
23 Short HEAP

A quick note for P pushed , you need to let me know just what kind of warheads you have, because they have different damage and blast radius' to them. This time we'll go with HEAP for your Shorts, 6 Medium Multi Warhead, and 4 Proton Torpedoes.

 

[Epiphany]

"Or it might be a staging point for the Invid to intercept Zentraedi or Robotech Master forces, or other aliens, from landing on the planet."

Lightning frowns at the tactical display, puzzling out intercept trajectories accounting for Praxis itself. She drums her fingers on the display screen for a moment, then nods once to herself. "Let's check it out, Storm Dragons. Rotate with maneuvering thrusters only, then straight in with a good burst followed by a no engine approach. Our Veritechs may be stealthed from radar but the naked eye can still see us. Let's minimize anything that might attract that eye, like our engine output."

 

[Orikanyo]

"Gottchyea, if anything is out there Alex will find it, our new radar should do the job quite well." Grumpy looked over his share of the monitors for any blips. He knew soemthing was going to go off.. it was just a matter of when...

 

[Psychie]

Scorch nods at the instructions, and moves her controls to make a close intercept and examination of the asteroid. "From what I remember, the Invid don't use normal radio like we do. I'm going to guess that its survivors of the Invid's invasion. Either way, lets find out!"

Spoiler: Missile Payload

12 Medium Multi Warhead
46 Short HEAP
8 Mini Fragmentation

 

[Sherwood]

As the team coasts through space towards the asteroid, Alex uses his radar to probe the mysterious object. At a range of 100 miles out, Alex reports, "I'm getting mixed signals from that asteroid. Most of it is nothing remarkable; just plain rock. But there are a few spots that read as metal. Could be a hidden base. If so, we have to get closer to confirm, possibly with a visual inspection."

How close do you want to get?

 

[Epiphany]

"Steady on," Lightning says as the Storm Dragons creep closer. "Maneuvering thrusters on my mark, once we intercept. I want a nice clean pass by without the visual tell of our engines going. Let's just see what's there first. We can always swing back depending. With any luck, no one will be looking out a window...and in case they are, be ready to scatter if they open fire."

 

[Sherwood]

To the naked eye, the asteroid looks like an ordinary stellar object; just a irregularly shaped rock in space. But, using your other sensors, you can see that the 'lifeless' rock is much warmer than it is supposed to be, and in your thermal sights, you can see the distinct shape of a massive airlock door that is well concealed.

Alex gives a satisfied nod. "Yep, just as I thought. This is a base of some kind, probably put in orbit by the garrison force of either the Zentraedi or the Robotech Masters to keep tabs on the Paraxians. Hell, the locals may not even know that this is a base up here and just think that this is just a random rock that got caught in the planet's gravity well."

He pauses for a moment, then says, "We should call this back to the MacArthur. See how they want us to play this."

 

[Epiphany]

"Good instincts, Lieutenant," Lightning says over the squad radio. "Call up Command and apprise them of our situation. Everyone else...steady on. Let's just drift on by for now. We have the base's coordinates and orbital trajectory so it's not going anywhere for us. We gain nothing by tipping our hand now. Since we have the luxury of time, let's see how our superiors want to play this."

She leans back in the cockpit, still drumming on the side of an instrument panel with two fingers. "Lieutenant Greeten, any thoughts? I don't know if you've been to Paraxis before or not. Any of this look familiar to you?"

 

[Sherwood]

P pushed

 

[Sherwood]

As the squad coasts by the asteroid, Alex pipes up, "I'm getting a signal from the Mac. Connecting it to the team now."

"Storm Dragons, try to establish contact with the residents of that base. Use your judgement on what you do, but remember, do not engage any Zentraedi or Robotech Master forces unless they attack you first. We are sending you various recognition codes and frequencies to use, so hopefully the base will respond to that. Use short range communications so the signals won't reach the planet. Good luck."

Alex pauses for a moment, then says, "I have the codes, so we can try to hail the base and see if anyone is home. I guess that the only question is, what do you want to say?"


Juryrig is currently sitting back in the MacArthur's infirmary as the doctor examines your leg, as it is currently immobilized by a hip-to-ankle cast. "Hmm. Well, lieutenant, it looks like the bones are nearly all set, and it is healing nicely. We can go ahead and remove the cast and put you in a temporary brace to begin some physical therapy to rebuild strength and your range of motion in that leg. I do hope that this comes as a lesson to you, not to climb the rock wall in the gymnasium without the proper safety gear. You should be back on the flight line shortly, thanks to the miracles of modern medicine speeding your recovery along faster. Lets go ahead and cut that cast loose, shall we?"

At this point, the medical team begins to cut away at the cast to remove it and place the tender leg into a brace. The nurse gives you a smile as she hands over a cane to aid you in walking out.

 

[Orikanyo]

"Well.. of course we should make certain they know who we are, what we are, and asking if theres anybody in there. We're here to take out the invid, not hurt any other forces in the area of course..." Grumpy rattled off thoughts that came to him. "Maybe justs end them "Why can't we be friends" by WAR while we're at it?"

 

[Kwops]

Juryrig tests the brace, wincing at the residual soreness. "Urgh. Looks like I'll be sitting out at least the next mission, maybe another." He returns the smile to the nurse. "At least I'm alive. That's a little more important than my leg. Thanks."

 

[Sherwood]

As Juryrig is making his way out of the infirmary and is heading towards the lifts to return to his room to take a load off his leg and let the painkillers set in, a fellow pilot slips into the lift with you. Just as the doors close, he taps a key on his smart watch, and for a moment, the main power shuts off in the elevator, leaving the two of you in a dark chamber. Emergency lights kick on, giving some measure of illumination. The other passenger looks at you and says, "We don't have much time before power comes back. Let me ask you a quick question: are you tired of fighting and getting hurt for a war that we don't have to take part of? Watching friends getting killed for someone else's fight doesn't appeal to me, and I'm wondering what you think about that."

 

[Psychie]

Amanda offers up the thought, "We can just come on out with the bare bones truth; we are here to liberate the planet from the Invid, and we are looking for allies in the fight to join us. Nice, simple, and to the point."

Spoiler: Missile Payload

12 Medium Multi Warhead
46 Short HEAP
8 Mini Fragmentation

 

[Epiphany]

"Excellent advice, all of you. Let's flip and rendezvous with the asteroid again. Keep our approach slow like last time. I don't want them shooting us down before we have a chance to talk to them."

Having given the command, Lightning executes it herself and accelerates back towards the asteroid. Once they get in range, she toggles the radio using the codes Alex provided. "Hear me," Lightning says, speaking in her best Zentraedi. "I am Lieutenant Chen Tseng of the United Earth Expeditionary Force, commanding the Storm Dragons. We seek allies to defeat the Invid. Will you meet with us?"

Short and sweet. Now to see what response they get...

 

[Kwops]

Juryrig turns to the man and throws him a signature snarky grin. "I don't know where you think I got this injury, man, but I fell off the rock-climbing wall and broke my leg." His expression turns more sober. "That being said, I'm somewhere in the camp of seeing this war as morally right. And for once, I'm glad to be fighting and hurting for something other than myself. I made a lot of mistakes before I joined the UEEF, and that was one of them. Now, I'm helping fix it. It's not a great feeling though, watching those you fight with get hurt. I don't know if this war's a necessity, I'd have to get back to you on that, but if I could keep my squad out of harm's way, I would."

 

[Sherwood]

Out in space, the squadron flips around and applies some thrust to change course back towards the asteroid base. With the signal being sent out, it takes a moment before you get any kind of reply. "Lieutenant Chen Tseng of the United Earth Expeditionary Force. How did you get this frequency? You are using known Zentraedi recognition codes, but you hardly sound like one. Where are you? This is a low powered signal, but there are no ships in the area."


In the elevator, when Juryrig tells the man his two cents worth on the war, the fellow pilot looks disappointed, but nods. "I get you, even if I don't agree with you. No worries. Just forget you ever had this conversation." He then taps his watch again and the power comes back on, and the elevator begins to move on its way. It stops at a service deck, and the other pilot steps off the elevator with a friendly nod over at you and the door closes behind him. When it opens again, you are on the personnel deck that houses your squad.

 

[Epiphany]

"We got this frequency from the same place we got the recognition codes; from the Zentraedi. They're our allies against the Invid. As for our location, we're willing to come to you and dock so we can meet each other and discuss strategy in person, if you're willing. Our fleet is close but staying out of sensor range so we don't tip the Invid to our presence until we're ready. Will you receive us?"